For playing Zolo it is not what you use, but how you use it. Different bands with different takes on Zolo have put a diverse range of instruments to use. From bouzoukis to xylophones, just about every instrument imaginable has been put to the test of Zolo, and with considerable success. And though anything goes in the realm of instrumentation, certain instruments are more inclined to the wobbles, wiggles, squiggles, boings, doings, and beeps that characterize the colorful world of Zolo. Keyboards in particular are capable of creating a vast palate of Zolo sounds. Keyboards can be indispensable in livening up a unit's sound (just look at what Barry Andrews did for XTC or Dave Greenfield for the Stranglers) and they are especially helpful for taking artsy rock into the sphere of Zolo (i.e. Magazine.) The most useful keyboards for making Zolo are organs, clavinettes, pianos, and synthesizers. Since Zolo tendencies were most prevalent through the 1970's and early '80's, the keyboards covered below will be drawn mainly from this period.
As Zolo is a product of Progressive Rock and New Wave musics, it would make most sense to look at the keyboards used by both. Concerning organs, Progressive Rock generally favored the Hammond B-3 played through a Leslie (rotating horn) speaker. This B-3 favoritism is by no means limited to Prog Roc; the B-3 is the organ of choice for keyboardists in many genres. As with many Hammond models, the b-3 can produce a wide variety of sounds, but it is most famous for it's warm, thick, warbly sound. The New Wave, to differ as much as possible from the Prog sound, chose combo organs. Vox and Farfisa combo organs were the most common of the New Wave organs. A product of the early 1960's Bubblegum, surf and Beat sounds (i.e. Dave Clark Five and Dick Dale), combo organs had a lighter and brighter tone than the Hammonds. Where the Hammond sound is like a thick blanket, the combo organ sound is more like a net- filling the necessary holes without covering anything up. Combo organs are usually characterized by their nasally, flat tone and their compact, lightweight appearance. The most successful manufacturers of combo organs were Farfisa and Vox (who also made the best quality), get Fender, Gibson, Hohner, Howard, Ace Tone, Wurlitzer, and scores of others also produced them.
Both combo organs and Hammonds have been used in Zolo, but combo organs have dominated. The bright, clear, chipper tone combo organs are capable of producing is absolutely fitting in Zolo. The combo that seems most capable is the Farfisa, which has been used by a number of Zolo units, including XTC, Etron Fou Leloublan, and Debile Menthol. The Farfisa tone has less of a buzzing sound than a Vox and it's percussion sound is a one-of-a-kind. Farfisas are also more compact than Voxes because they (usually) are comprised of only two pieces; the legs are attached to the body and only the keyboard cover is removable. Combo organs in general are more compact than the enormous (and heavy!) Hammonds and they are also less expensive. A Hammond B-3 will cost more than $1000 while the prices of combo organs vary from $200 to $500.
Like combo organs, clavinettes are also small and light weight. Their prices are also similar. The clavinette's sound, however, is much different. A clavinette is an electric clavichord, which is like a small harpsichord. It has a wiry sound that ranges from fat on the low keys to thin on the high keys. The clavinette has been used mostly in '70's funk music where it seemed to mix well with the wha-wha guitars. I's ability to produce boingy sounds is largely unexplored. Barry Andrews used a clavinette on his solo work and also on XTC's "This is Pop?"/ "Heatwave" single and throughout the Go2 album. Pianos are largely overlooked (again with Barry Andrews being the primary exception.) Electric pianos in particular seem absent from Zolo. While small, portable, non-electric pianos are hard to come by, electric pianos are quite easy to find. The Fender Rhodes is by far the most popular, but the similar Wurlitzer is gaining in popularity. The differences between the two are few; both can make the warm, muted tones which have brought them near-legendary status. The Wurlitzer in particular,though, is nicely suited for a percussive, marimba-like sound when no sustain is used. It's percussive nature would fit nicely in the realm of Zolo, where melody and rhythm are often fused. The portability of electric pianos is also a big plus. Though heavy, they are much lighter than standard piano. Their prices run the same range as combo organs and clavinettes.
The commercially packaged analogue synthesizer was born with Progressive Rock and reached the height of it's popularity in the New Wave. Though it wasn't essential in either genre, it played an important role in the stereotypes of both. When it emerged in the 1960's, the synthesizer was viewed as the future of music. And though it didn't completely take over the role of guitars and drums as some thought it would, the synthesizer has become a standard instrum,ent in modern music.
Musician in the 60's used the Moog (at that time the only synthesizer available) to produce unearthly sounds and create futuristic, space-age imagery. Artists such as Silver Apples, Dick Hyman, and Perrey and Kingsley attempted to popularize (and humorize) the moog sound. Their efforts made important contributions to the history of Zolo, but did not (unfortunately) take over pop music. Purely synthesized music would continue in a more atmospheric vein until the late '70's, when Cold Wave would capitalize on the greater availability of synthesizers.
The introduction of the (relatively) user-friendly and inexpensive Minimoog in 1970 would put synthesizers in the hands of rock musicians permanently.The Minimoog became the mainstay of Progressive Rock of the 70's, while New Wave usually chose newer and more compact synths. The analogue synthesizers of the 70's and early 80's have become classics (or "vintage") today because of their unique, flexible sound. They can make an impressive range of unusual sounds which can be utilizes successfully in Zolo.
The key to creating Zolo sounds with an analogue synth is to avoid the typical analogue sound that is popular in today's music. The drawn out filter sweeps, the muted sine wave sound with heavy portamento, or the resonance-drenched bass of techno don't really work in the zany, whimsical world of Zolo. Bright, squiggly, boingy, and percussive sounds work best. To make such sounds most analogue synthesizers will do. The more flexible the synth, the better. Prices of analogue synths typically range from around $300 to $1200, depending on the capabilities of the synthesizer. A good place to start would be with small, inexpensive monophonic synths like the Moog Rogue and MG-1, or Roland Sh-09.
Analogue (and especially monophonic) synthesizers began to die out in the early 80's with the increased use of digital technology. Most of the digital synths that were introduced (and that clog the market now) lacked the personality of the analogue synths and were more difficult to program. There was, however, one exception early on; the Casio CZ series. Capable of producing bizarre and silly sounds, the CZ series is beginning to be rediscovered in the sea of preset Casio keyboards. The CZ 101, 1000, 3000, and 5000 (the keyboard gets bigger with the model number) are synths packed with wonderfully impractical features (a 12-step envelope!) that create the boingy, squiggly sounds of Zolo like no other! They are also very lightweight and very inexpensive (especially since they are common pawn shop fodder)! Though the Casio sound lacks the analogue sound's thickness, it is truly unique among synthesizers with it's unusual capabilities. The CZ synth has been used most successfully in Zolo by Fred Frith on his Cheap at Half the Price album.
Of all the keyboards available, synthesizers are definitely the most useful for making Zolo. They can be manipulated to produce nearly all of the sounds which characterize the un-earthly music and their capabilities are virtually bound-less. Though a Zolo unit does not have to have synthesizers (or any keyboard for that matter) to be Zolo, the addition certainly helps.
Zolo can be played with just about any instrument, but keyboards in particular are especially inclined to creating the wobbles, wiggles, squiggles, boings, doings, and beeps that prevail in Zolo. The most useful keyboards for creating Zolo are combo organs, clavinettes, pianos, and synthesizers. The keyboards are indispensable for brightening up a unit's sound and adding zany Zolo exclamation points!
Copyright 1999 by Chad A.